Country:
District:
Starting point and access: Saint-Nom-la-Bretèche station - Marly Forest.
- Transilien - Line L, terminus of a section departing from Paris-Saint-Lazare and via La Défense.
Take the only exit at the front of the train.
Red and yellow signposts
(S/E) At the end of the platform, turn left to take the level crossing. Go up the road and quickly turn left to cross a small car park. At the end, take the path that enters the forest (posts of an old forest barrier). After a few metres, at a fork, take the left-hand path, which runs alongside the railway line (fence).
Go under a small bridge, the remains of an old railway line. Immediately after the bridge, turn left: the path becomes narrow and winding. At a T-junction (railway bridge on the left), make a zigzag left-right turn. Cross a stream and climb up through the young trees, heading south-east, ignoring the paths branching off to the left and right.
(1) At the crossroads (Étoile Pavée on the map), continue straight ahead, still heading south-east (oak tree marked with plot number 121 and a red and yellow marker). Be careful not to take the wider path on the left, which also has a red and yellow marker on a tree.
Climb up through a forest that is much more open than before. Cross a small path. About 50 metres further on, at a crossroads, take the path on the left, with two beautiful beech trees on the right, the first of which has an old red and yellow marker. Descend slightly and you will reach the Étoile d'Actéon (signpost).
(2) Do not continue straight ahead towards the forest barrier, but take a path on the right that starts a few metres to the left of a tree with a sign for "Étoile d'Actéon". Cross the D161 road and continue straight ahead on a wide, stable path (ONF information sign). At the next crossroads, turn left onto the main path. Then cross a small path at the boundary between plots 136 and 135. Continue in an east-northeast direction, then northeast.
No signposts
(3) When you reach a small clearing, leave theGRP® and continue straight ahead uphill. Turn sharply right and follow a wide path that runs between two large oak trees. After about 100 metres, at a crossroads (plots nos. 140 and 138), turn right and leave a fitness trail on your left. You will soon rejoin theGR®1.
Red and white markings
(4) Ignore a fitness trail staircase that branches off to the left and continue on theGR®1. Follow a stream on your right, then turn right to cross the stream. The path climbs (plot no. 134) and becomes a trail.
(5) From the Étoile de la Côte (no signpost until point 6), stay on theGR®, which is the main path, and ignore the paths you come to at the successive crossroads. Cross the D161 road diagonally to the left, taking care as visibility is limited. The path continues west or west-northwest. It alternates between short ascents and descents. The climb to reach the crossroads at the boundaries of plots 116, 117, 122 and 123 is particularly steep. You will come to a T-junction.
(6) At the crossroads, take a wide path on the right, heading north-west. Pass a crossroads with a blue sign and continue north-west, climbing gently. At the junction with a tarmac road (Route Royale), immediately take the path that branches off to the right along this road. At the boundary between plots 106 and 107, cross a small road, continue straight ahead and you will reach the Étoile de Dryade (signposted; if necessary, you can shorten the walk, see practical information).
(7) Continue north-west. At a T-junction, with a road about 100 metres opposite, turn right. Cross a small road. The path bends to the right: you are now in increasingly open surroundings and will soon see the Croix Saint-Michel. Continue to the cross.
No signposts
(8) When you are at the foot of the cross and looking east towards the esplanade, where you have a wide view, theGR® continues to the left, due north. Look to the right ofthe GR® for a tree with a red and white cross. Look for a triangle of paths that you can position in relation to this tree with a cross:
- at the foot of the tree, to its right, a first path heads north-west, descending then ascending (both sides are clearly visible);
- this path crosses a second path, perpendicular to it, after about ten or twenty metres;
- a third path branches off diagonally to the right, descending, and quickly joins the perpendicular path.
Take this third path, passing at the foot of two twin trees on the right; at the junction with the second path, continue to the right. Go downhill and pass a large oak tree on the right with plot number 108.
At a crossroads, with plot number 109 opposite on the right, continue straight ahead, heading east. The path continues downhill, passes at the foot of a very large oak tree on your right, bends to the left, with another very large oak tree on your right, and ends at a T-junction. Then turn right onto a wide path, heading east, into a well-cleared forest. The path becomes narrower and ends at a small hill with a tree bearing plot number 12. You will find the red and yellowGRP® markings on the other side.
Red and yellow markings
(9) Turn right downhill to follow the GRP®. You will immediately reach a crossroads (on a tree, signposted "Étoile de la Maison Rouge"). Take a slight right (oak tree with a sign for "Piste cavalière"). Cross a stream. Shortly afterwards, at a fork, take the left-hand path towards the station, which is clearly visible. Note the discreet Fontaine de Maison Rouge fountain on the left of the path (incorrectly marked on the map). Continue to the Route des Muses (car park on the right). Turn left onto the bridge and cross the railway line, then turn left again to return to the station (S/E).
Visorando member
Difficult 
Easy 
